In our previous post we have collected a few great tips and hacks to improve your crochet. No life hack list is complete though without some creative improvisation for everyday situations or for special gifts. For that, we have created the list below of the best crochet ideas for easy do-it-yourself. If you are looking for a new crochet inspiration – we have you covered with these 17 best crochet ideas.
Some ideas are directly linked to a free tutorial or a premium pattern (we tried to concentrate on free patterns), while others are accompanied by our own creation or a Pinterest image selection. With already some basic crochet skills, you can complete any of those awesome crochet ideas below. Although some crochet ideas might be a bit challenging in the making for total crochet beginners, you will for sure still find something to start with. Enjoy!
Sidenote: we want this best-of list to be an evolving inspiration with adding new ideas on the go. Bookmarking this page is save, though.
#1: Crochet Cup Lid
Let us start with a crochet idea that leans towards the useful side:
It’s summer and you enjoy your fruit shake. You leave your drink unattended and a fly starts enjoying your drink too. Sounds familiar? Then this crochet idea might just be what you need: a crochet lid for your cup with a hole in the middle for a straw. For this lid, start from the inside and work your way outwards – starting with 26 double crochet or 16 single crochet in a magic ring (for a standard-sized straw). Make it colourful or add a playful design to your fancy DIY-lid. Keep your drinks save from flies now!
#2: Crochet Phone Case
Combine handcraft with technology and you get a beautiful crochet smartphone cover. No matter the design, you always start with a (foundation) chain (then, either work in rounds or in rows, depending on whether you want a full case or just a back cover). Add some crochet elements to it, like a flower, an animal head or a geometric pattern, or play with different stitch types and yarn colours, and you get your individualized crochet phone cover in no time. Such cases are also perfect for crochet beginners who want to practice crochet stitches or create a thought-out gift with little effort.
A few of our favourite designs for a small inspiration (click on the image to get to the (premium) patterns, the last two patterns are free!):
#3: Crochet Earbud Holder
Whether it’s for your TWS earbuds or your standard in-ear headphones. Seeing this, you will propably never go back to keeping your earbuds in its boring case or loose overall. You can keep it simple (with just a thick crochet band or granny square that can be closed around the case with a button) or more elaborate (with a cute crochet case in form of an animal or manga figure). But one thing is for sure: people will turn their heads when you use your crochet earbud holder in public!
See our small collection of free crochet holder patterns for your earbuds (follow the link in the images to the respective free crochet pattern):
#4: Crochet Cable-Cover
Because our lives are technologically so equipped, let us stay on this area with this next crochet idea:
A laptop (or maybe two), a personal and a business smartphone, a tablet (plus a kindle), a headset for work, a bluetooth sound system … and they all require a charging cable. Your Tech-repertoire is impressive and so is the cable spaghetti at your space. The solution?
Make it a colourful cable spaghetti! This gives your place some more paint and has the advantage that coated cables do not entangle or get knotted so easily. Besides, your phone charging cable just looks prettier in a customized cable cover (particularly in addition to #2), right? Work single crochet stitches around the cable in your favourite colour(s) from one end to the other and you are good to go!
#5: Crochet (Key) Mini-Bag
Moving on from technology, let’s go back to the roots of our everyday lives with the small things you always carry around with you. Be it for your (car) keys, any loyalty cards or some small change, with a crochet mini-bag you have them always together by your side.
Easy in the making (for starters) and with lots of design options (for more advanced crocheters). See our selection below and get started!
#6: Crochet Garland
Need some inspiration for a baby shower or a new decoration for your kids’ room? How about crochet garlands? This crochet idea helps you add a seasonal or playful vibe to any room. They are quick and easy to make and a great way to use up yarn scraps. As you can use a repetitive crochet design, creating your own crochet garland can be also quite meditative.
Follow the links to the respective garland patterns: Autumn Attractions, Leaf Garland (free), Gingerbread Hearts (free), Christmas Trees, Mushrooms and Hedgedogs (free), Daisy Garland (free)
#7: Gift Card with Yarn and Crochet Elements
This one requires a bit more finesse, but it’s a lovely way to recycle your yarn scraps and make someone else very happy: gift cards with crochet elements!
Need a birthday card for a girlfriend? How about a girl with a crochet cocktail dress and a big crochet wine glass in her hand, dancing in the meadow of loop stitches under the crochet sun.
Need a Christmas gift card? Make a crochet Christmas tree with a few crochet squares as presents, glue them to an empty card, add a Merry Christmas text and you are finished.
Do you want to give your loving mum a thank you card? Maybe try a crochet rose with leaves glued to a small cardboard.
A babyshower card? How about crochet baby jumpsuit and crochet feeding bottle miniatures on a colourful card.
A gift card with something less crochet elaborated? No problem, use your yarn scraps to just glue them into a heart shape, a text form or simply as a fine, curvy line around your card.
For many more ideas, see our collection on Pinterest! A tip beforehand: working with lace yarn allows you to add small details and get a delicate result.
#8: Crochet Patches
Your favourite shirt or trousers have a hole or you just love to add applications to your clothing, bags or covers. And the embroidered patches or sewed alternatives are too standard, too boring or just not the right fit for your best piece? Then try your own patch in a crochet design! You choose the design and form, the softness, the thickness and size – completely independently of a sewing machine (the crochet patch can be sewed to your clothing by hand with a sewing thread). No more searching for a right patch or trying around to sew a hole away.
Get some ideas for crochet applications from the collection below (each crochet application can be bought on Etsy – just follow the link in the image).
#9: Crochet Scrunchies
They never seem to get out of style: scrunchies. This post shows you how you can make your own scrunchie – simple and beautiful. Definitely try one with a velour yarn, you will love it! Perfect as a gift or for your own joy!
#10: Crochet Sponge
This crochet idea should probably lead our list, because it’s the easiest crochet idea, but who wants to start a best-of list with sponges, right? But a crochet sponge can be both, uniquely beautiful and very useful for many reasons.
Let’s ignore the most obvious advantage of a sponge and cut right to the chase: the supermarket usually offers two simple, cheap tyes of sponges: basic large and thin household sponge cloths and its small, thick counterpart dish sponges. Making your own crochet sponge allows you to fill the middle with a more classy looking version while recycling an old sponge cloth or washcloth.
See our crochet hack #21 (DIY textile yarn) to transform a sponge cloth into your unique crochet sponge (cutting it into one thin and end-to-end ongoing string which you then use as your sponge yarn).
You can make the sponge open on one side (for a hand) or simply flat, make it squared or give it another form, add a hanger ring to it or choose beautiful crochet stitches that make the sponge look more exclusive. You don’t need to stick to a household use but you can go for a bath pouf too. Easy to make, with numerous possibilities and probably the one idea you will most likely use extensively once you have given it a try!
#11: Crochet Puzzle Ball
Easy in the making, complicated in the assembly and possibly the most innovative crochet gift you can present to an inquisitive mind: a Crochet Puzzle Ball. A puzzle ball comes apart into three or more little or larger segments which have to be assembled. From a straight-forward simple three segments’ puzzle ball to a four or more segments elaborate animal, fruit, plant, etc. puzzle form, your possibilities are endless. No sharp ends and a cuddle effect at the end guaranteed. The chunky design makes it a perfect toy for little hands too. Not convinced? Then check out our collection below and see for yourself.
Follow this tutorial by Dedri Uys on how to make a crochet puzzle ball. Add your own variations to create new shapes, for instance for an animal puzzle ball, a fruit puzzle ball or a flower puzzle ball.
#12: Crochet Placemats
You might notice that our best-of list lacks crochet coasters so far. To be honest, while adding a nice decorative touch to your table crochet coasters are not that practical. A cap can easily topple over the coaster and – because they are so small – they can lose their shape more easily or become frayed over a short period of time. But we are advocates of their big brothers: crochet placemats!
Everyone uses placemats at some point in their life. But in the right design, everyone will use at least your crochet placemat, for sure! With a customized crochet placemat you can add – from vintage, homey to vibrant, modern – a unique touch to any table. A crochet gift not only for the elderly. Make sure to use durable and machine washable yarn that doesn’t become frayed easily.
Here is our collection of free lovely crochet placemat patterns found online (go directly to the free pattern by clicking on the respective image):
#13: Crochet Bookmark
A crocheted bookmark is the perfect gift for, basically, anyone: kids, students, mums, book-lovers, not book-lovers… They can take as little as 20 minutes to make and are an ideal way to use up yarn scraps. Of course, you can also go for more and create animals or elaborate, fancy design bands. From a crochet chain that ends in a pretty element, to a lace crochet band or a corner bookmark, you can let off your imagination in no time.
We have collected a few lovely different bookmark versions found online and on Instagram – from easy to more challenging – to help you start out on your journey to your own crochet bookmark. The images are linked to the original patterns. A tip beforehand: you get the best result (and leave the least imprint on a book’s inside) using soft lace yarn – which makes this idea rather more suitable for intermediate crocheters.
#14: Crochet Cord Bracelet
Jewelry made by crochet, didn’t think about that, right? Yet, these dainty little bracelets are so lovely! You can even add a macrame pull closure (a series of square knots) to make it adjustable. Mix it up with soft colour combinations and decorative elements or keep it simple and feminine, either way you get a pretty, delicate bracelet for yourself or a friend.
Follow these easy step-by-step instructions from All about Ami to make your own crochet cord bracelet with adjustable closure.
#15: Furniture Crochet Socks
Crocheting socks for you or your loved ones was yesterday, today it’s all about adding crochet elements to your home. So, when your chairs scratch on the floor, we have just the perfect (-ly creative) solution: give them some crochet socks and you get the problem out of your way while adding a playful touch to your home! This idea also works well with tables or if you have a chair with a shorter leg (just give this leg a sock – make sure to check the yarn thickness first, for balancing out the height difference correctly). Bytheway, try crochet Christmas boots for christmas or bunny socks for Easter – your kids will love it!
#16: Crochet Toppers for Pencil or Finger
If you are looking for a funny gift for a young one (or one young at heart), then this crochet idea is the right one for you: a crochet pencil topper or a crochet finger puppet.
Although this crochet idea might be more suitable for more experienced crocheters, you can still get a beautiful result with little crochet experience. For some inspiration, see our large idea collection on Pinterest:
#17: Crochet Bottle Cover
Not another crochet-cover idea, right? But we are totally serious on this one and think we need to end our list with a big shot – from a crochet-covered bottle!
This crochet idea should cover (no pun intended) two interesting areas: one, today we are all about glass or durable, high-resistance BPE-free bottles in a fancy design or, at least, a fancy cover. How about creating your own crochet cover for your sports or study bottle that meets your specific design criteria, style and purpose ? From velour, to cotton – with the right yarn you can let your imagination run free. And it can be totally easy too: just crochet the base cover layer in a solid colour and then sew, embroider or stitch a preferred design into the cover.
But, two, there is an innovative aspect to creating a crochet cover for your bottle. That is, making a fancy crochet layer that covers any standard PET bottle so that you can use the plastic bottle as a vase! Hands down, this idea is probably the greatest on our list, period.
Did you get some inspiration from our crochet ideas above? Now, it’s your turn: do you know a genius crochet inspiration or idea that you want to share with us? We are curious to read about it in the comment section below and expand our list further with your help!
